While we’re still waiting for actual 4K TV broadcasts, DIRECTV is looking to spread the wealth of existing Ultra HD programming to any of the 4K TVs you currently have at home.
This is assuming that you have more than one. If that’s the case, check out the company’s 4K Genie Mini, a box that can put 4K content on almost any 4K TV that you have stashed in the bedroom, basement, or anywhere else that’s not your main viewing space.
The 4K Genie Mini works in conjunction with DIRECTV’s previously released Genie HD DVR. (So yes, you need one of those too.) Right now, only Samsung 4K TVs are compatible with the Genie HD DVR. However, that’s really the hook on the 4K Genie Mini; it can put 4K programming and Genie functionality on almost any other 4K TV.
If you don’t have a Samsung 4K TV to anchor your system, know that the content provider is still planning to add support for LG, Sony and additional TV manufacturers soon.
So to recap: You’ll need the Genie HD DVR and the 4K Genie Mini, as well as a Samsung 4K TV. However, it should also be noted that the secondary TVs need to support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2.
That said, the real kicker is that even if you have 4K TVs with 4K Genie Minis all over the house, you can still only watch one 4K stream at a time.
According to DIRECTV, the 4K Genie Mini is about the size of a paperback book, so it’s easy to squeeze into any room in the house. It also supports Dolby Digital Plus audio decoding.
“Customers who want the best picture quality are creating more demand for 4K,” said Henry Derovanessian, senior vice president of DIRECTV’s consumer premise engineering. “The new 4K Genie Mini allows us to meet that demand by expanding 4K access to more of our customers nationwide.”
According to DIRECTV, the base price on the 4K Genie Mini is $99. However, when you call to order it, you may be able to finagle some type of deal, depending on your service plan.
Paul Binder says
I get attacked by Direct TV sales people every time I go to Best Buy, Costco, Sam’s Club etc. They typically don’t know that the 4K box only works with Samsung!